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Ask yourself these 10 questions? They will help you decide if you are ready…

1. When do you want to retire?

2. What percentage of your current income do you expect to need in retirement?

3. How do you plan to spend your money in retirement?

4. Have you considered your lifestyle needs in retirement?

5. What guaranteed sources of income can you count on in retirement?

6. Do you plan to work part-time or full-time in retirement?

7. How do health and wellness factor into your retirement plan?

8. Are you ready for the unexpected events in life?

9. How will you keep your money working in retirement?

10. Do you plan to leave a legacy?

Like everyone around you saving has become second nature. You have saved wisely and built a sizeable retirement fund to provide for your retirement. The next question is one that will confuse many… Are you ready?

Think about how you will keep your money growing. Talk to a financial security advisor about investment solutions for retirees.

Above are 10 questions… Questions that need answers so that you can retire into the lifestyle that you have become familiar with living. Studies show us that you spend more money on the weekends (or days off) because these are generally the days you have time to spend your hard earned money. So consider this in retirement every day is a weekend or a day off.

When do you want to retire? This is a personal question with many variables being attached for each individual. How much money do you have saved? Do you like your job? Are you healthy? When we change over from a saving to spending cycle the timing of your retirement is crucial to building a fund and assessing how long you will need it to last. If you like your job you may want to work longer as a consultant, this will help fund your retirement income. Although health will be the biggest factor to your retirement date, many workers are forced into retirement, not because of age but health issues. I guess it comes down to want to retire or need to retire hopefully the decision is yours to make.

What percentage of your income today will you need in the future to retire? This is a number that needs to be calculated into the retirement plan. Most financial advisors will show you a figure of 75% of today’s income going forward. To be honest that is a generous figure. Most of your big-ticket items will have been paid for by this time. You must remember however that you will are likely to make the most income in your lifetime during the last 5 years of employment before you retire. So your final valuation is something that must be continually updated while planning for the future.

What are your current spending habits? Are you a saver or a spender? Because these habits will not likely change in retirement, and as always you must plan for the unexpected events which will be out of your control. It goes without saying savers are more likely to save more and have more than the spenders, so spenders must work to save more now to have more in retirement. This is a common sense approach but you would be surprized by the lack of respect for compounding interest and how it works in your favor over time.

How many days a year will you travel or play golf? If you retire at age 65 and live till the age of 90… meaning you will have less than 10,000 days or 9,125 days to be exact. That would be a fair amount of travel and golf for anyone; some planning will have to be involved regarding the answer to those questions. I believe these answers to be the top answers to the question of… what do you want to do when you retire? So to live that lifestyle you will have to plan for future expenses that you may not already have. If you buy a condo in Florida you will have to account for the condo fees and associated upkeep costs of two homes to allow for the travel and golf adventure you have planned. If you plan to travel the world you will have to account for the currency exchange rates and the costs associated with travel to the exotic locations you want to visit.

Calculate how much income you’ll receive during retirement – from sources such as Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Quebec Pension Plan (QPP), and Old Age Security (OAS) payments. Then, determine how much additional income you’ll need and where this will come from. While investment income is a nice bonus, you shouldn’t rely on it to pay for necessities.

When you consider retirement planning, make sure to account for unpredictable events – both financial and personal. As we said before plan for the unexpected. Make sure your retirement savings are strong enough to support you through a future economic downturn, and a rise in the cost of living and a long life.

If you plan for the future you will be able to enjoy life to the fullest, if you fail to plan for the future it will get away from you and your plans will have to be alterred. The choice is yours choose wisely.